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Showa22 At It Again!


Stegel

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I dont belive that Luis. You got more for a Gunto in Japan. Look in yahoo auctions. There were sold Type95 in Japan for around 300.000 Yen. There are two example threads under auction. No room to smuggle illegal swords in and out from Japan. The customs controll every sword on the airport.

I think he collect them at pawn shops, from private and flea markets.

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Luis,

You may be right...I know someone who has been buying blades from Japan including Showa period blades for years,admittedly they have modern fittings or shirasaya non have been housed in gunto mounts.....Where there is money involved nothing surprises me...!

Regards,

Paul...

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I had a Kanenori gunto in modern koshirae that I was going to use for Iai, but I decided go with another sword instead. Showa22 bought it from me on ebay and a few months later I saw list it, but now in gunto koshirae….

He must have a lots of parts in stock,because it's not that easy to find the koshirae  fit the blade though.

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I've always been curious where the hell Showa22 gets all of his inventory!  I've actually been a bit jealous of his seemingly endless supply and availability to Japanese swords of all types.

 

Having said this, I also lived in central California for almost forty years, and attended more sword/guns shows (mainly in northern California) than I can remember. Bay area, Sacramento, Stockton, etc...

 

I came across a guy at a gun show in Sacramento, Ca. once who had a table with an enormous pile of gunto saya's, sword parts and pieces, intact swords, you name it, he had it. Friendly, nice sort of guy, I spoke with him for maybe thirty minute's, and what I think struck me most about him is how casually he mentioned his ability to put together sword parts and pieces in order to make them marketable.  Hmmmm, early Showa22 ??

 

Years later, long before the onslaught Chinese reproduction shin gunto tassels, I noticed on ebay, what appeared to be, and was advertised as an original WWII era company grade officers tassel. I don't recall the exact wording, it appeared nos, but was definitely advertised as WWII era. (The seller Showa22 )  Sacramento, Ca. area

 

I ended up winning the bid, and while waiting for the tassel to arrive, I noticed that his ebay site was relisting the exact tassel I had just purchased, with identical photos and description. I immediately contacted him, he did respond, and mentioned it was a simple mistake. Eventually, the tassel arrived, it had absolutely no wear, which was fine, unissued, no problem, but I did notice the normal blue color of company officers was more purple than blue.

 

I let the purple color go, hey, maybe just a manufacturing variation. However, I could never quite get over feeling the tassel was a modern reproduction. I eventually took the tassel to the San Francisco sword show and asked some of the vendors opinion's. Most said modern reproduction.

 

There's nothing worse than the feeling you've been taken.  As mentioned, this was way before all of the Chinese reproduction tassels. So if my tassel is a modern copy, Showa22 was ahead of the game even back then...

 

The only consolation I have is the possibility it may be original as I notice on the Ohmura's Military Sword site, many of the photos of company grade officers tassels have the same purplish appearance.

 

I'm definitely not condemning the guy's lively hood, but just saying...

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Dave didnt that fellow have a table at the SF show?

 

from the few times im met him i thought nice enough fellow, not a care taker of nihonto just a used car(sword) seller.

 

Youll find the same class of seller in Nippon just on a advanced level that you dont recognize their tricks yet, keep with it youll get there.

 

Theres been so many Showa 22 threads and warnings id like to see a moratorium on them. Just do a search on board. 

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Stephen, 

 

If he did have a table at the SF sword show, I didn't recognize him as the person I had met years early. 

 

Really hadn't thought about him much until reading this post, and occasionally looking at the purple colored tassel.

 

Good analogy~Used car (sword) seller....

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This guy just gives me the wrong vibes with how many warning threads have appeared about him and his wares. I'd almost say he might be a rather clever forger. I've seen more than a few of his repeat listings with the same stock photos. I'd advise people avoid him for fear of being defrauded. I mean, if he is bringing listings down after people notice it here, he is definitely watching and there is definitely something going on with him.

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If there is still doubt about his performance, let me put it to rest with an 8 month report card so to speak.

After posting this thread, I went through my data base and cross checked previous data to confirm that what he is doing to this field of collecting could be seen as an absolute disaster.

 

Parts are being swapped, ie brass for steel tsuba's and vice versa, fuchi and scabbards or throats of scabbards.

Items are being sold multiple times on occasion, usually at a higher price than originally sold for.

Cleaning is performed and even polishing. Chips and other blade damage is repaired.

Re-stamping of scabbards is so rampant it could be viewed as an obsession of his, and a red flag is the over use of talc to highlight numbers and hide features of the scabbard throats.

All of his sales are Matching serial numbers!! (quite a few in completely invalid configurations- as they could not have come from the issuing arsenal like this)

 

I can back all my claims with evidence if required.

 

 

In summary, 21 out of a total of 47 sales have the examples deliberately changed

a further 13 are doubtful as there are suspicions present (re-stamping etc),

11 could be seen to appear genuine, and only 2 can be considered 100% genuine IMO.

 

 

 

colour code for easy visualisation:

 

BOLD RED----DISGRACEFUL

RED------------BUSTED! CAUGHT RED HANDED

ORANGE------SUSPICIOUS EXAMPLE

GREEN--------APPEARS TO BE OK

BLUE-----------GENUINE EXAMPLE

 

date:          serial #       summary info:

 

20180205  37201 名  GIFU 東 Scabbard Swap & RESTAMP
20180212  51366 東  SUYA Possible RE-STAMP
20180220  120414 東  Iijima Possibly  LEGIT
20180226  83370 名  SEKI LOOKS LEGIT QUICK CLEAN & RESALE

20180308  63273 名  GIFU ADDED THROAT SCREW & CLEAN LEGIT
20180318  93714 東  SUYA  名-Scabbard Swap REPAIR and RE-STAMP
20180318  148988  Iijima with Tsuba, Scabbard & FUCHI Swap  and RESTAMP

20180320  90282 東  Possible LEGIT
20180323  300014  Pattern 5  Scabbard RESTAMP--> RARITY RUINED
20180328  137252  Iijima Tokyo 1st Possible TSUBA SWAP but LOOKS  LEGIT
20180402  124360 東  ReStamped Scabbard
20180407  215768 関  CLEAN & REPAIR
20180409  30387 東 SUYA  Possible RE-STAMP

20180414  24244 東 New Scab Throat
20180414  213538 関 Possible RE STAMP
20180420  137559 Iijima FUCHI SWAP with Possible RE-STAMP
20180423  44472 東 Iijima Possible RE-STAMP
20180425  65839 名  GIFU LOOKS  LEGIT
20180428  81646 SEKI SOLD TWICE 2WKS APART
20180507  123609 東  ReStamp Scabbard
20180507  212842  FEINT STAMPS SHOWA22
20180508  55451 東 100% Scabbard RESTAMP
20180513  Pattern 8 wooden handle with GREEN ITO LEGIT EXAMPLE
20180516  99924 名 TSUBA SWAP Salmon Scab
20180522  97564 東  CLEAN & RE SELL
20180527  Pattern 8  wooden handle with RED ITO LEGIT  EXAMPLE
20180603  27602 東  名-Scabbard
20180617  12637 東 Iijima Possible RE-STAMP
20180701  78249 名  GIFU LOOKS LEGIT
20180708  84662 名  SEKI   LOOKS LEGIT FIRST SALE
20180709  56322 東 Iijima ADDED SARUTE PARTS
20180714  84662 名  SEKI   LOOKS LEGIT SECOND SALE- TWICE WITHIN 1WK
20180719  44955  Iijima 東 LOOKS LEGIT
20180724  41823 東  名-Scabbard
20180729  28820 東  LOOKS LEGIT
20180803  41823 東  名-Scabbard
20180804  7241 東    ReStamp SWAPPED Scabbard FIRST SALE

20180809  55060 東  LOOKS LEGIT FIRST SALE
20180814  19410 東  名-Scabbard SWAPPED OUT COPPER SCABBARD #5208
20180820  39157 東  RE STAMPED

20180825  7241 東    Scabbard Swap & ReStamp SECOND SALE
20180830  55060 東  LOOKS LEGIT SECOND SALE
20180906  89468 東  REPAIR  & SAUTE Added THEN  RE-SELL
20180911  77131 東   Possible RE-STAMP
20180916  75398 東  LOOKS LEGIT
20180918  34360 東    CANCELLED after being exposed
20181014  123350 東  CANCELLED after being exposed again.


Collecting in this field and building a data base has made it easy to make the above observations, but for the nihonto guys, well i can't say, but i would advise extreme caution.

 

The validity of any database now requires a further degree of scutiny, and he has sent a lot of serious collectors, including myself here, into a severe tail spin, with his actions.

Having said all this, i believe that no one should be buying anything from this person at all.

If you wish to pursue the hobby, then there are many other sellers who do not cheat and deceive, just to make a sale chasing a quick dollar.

 

 

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